The invention relates to reinforcing fabric, its use in drive belts such as poly-V belts.
Fabric reinforcement is known to provide a stiffening effect in rubber products, especially when laminated fabric plies are used. When laminated fabric plies are used, the reinforcement cords in each ply are usually "laid-up" at different angles in the rubber product, which enhances this stiffening effect since the cords in each ply have different angles of primary stiffness and work against each other.
In some rubber products the reinforcement is provided to prevent stretching or growth of the product or to provide strength in drive applications. In a drive belt, for example, reinforcement in the drive direction of a belt may be provided by cords which provide the drive strength for the belt, and reinforcement perpendicular to the drive direction helps maintain the integrity of the belt in use, i.e. "perpendicular" reinforcement helps prevent separation of the drive cords.
In a drive belt, however, stiffness is not a desirable property since the belt must be easily bended around pulleys and/or sheaves which sometimes have relatively small diameters. Stiffness in such a use equates to resistance, and reduces the efficiency of any drive system using such a belt.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a reinforcement fabric that can be incorporated into an elastomeric product that provides strength in substantially one direction, and elastomeric products made using such a reinforcement fabric. Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.